• Theresa Gelzinis, Sherif Assaad, and Albert C Perrino.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2020 Feb 1; 33 (1): 27-36.

Purpose Of ReviewRight ventricular (RV) dysfunction following thoracotomy and pulmonary resection is a known phenomenon but questions remain about its mechanism, risk factors, and clinical significance. Acute RV dysfunction can present intraoperatively and postoperatively, persisting for 2 months after surgery.Recent FindingsRecently, the pulmonology literature has emphasized pulmonary arterial capacitance, rather than pulmonary vascular resistance, as a marker to predict disease progression and outcome in patients with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Diagnostic focus has emerged on the use of cardiac MRI and new echocardiographic parameters to better quantify the presence of RV dysfunction and the role of pulmonary capacitance in its development.SummaryIn this review, we examine the most recent literature on RV dysfunction following lung resection, including possible mechanisms, time span of RV dysfunction, and available diagnostic modalities. The clinical relevance of these factors on preoperative assessment and risk stratification are presented.

9 keywords...

hide…